Yay!! I got more comments for the last chapter!! Thanks!! Well enjoy!

Chapter 68

Kaase kept track of the moon phases as well as any scientist would. This weekend would be a full moon so he wouldn't come with me to his parent's so there wouldn't be any risk. So I left that morning by myself, eager to meet with Jen again. I had only talked to her a couple times since the day I first met her.

I got to their house a little after noon. Jen pulled up the same time as me in her own truck which was a lot bigger than mine. "Hey Leah!" She greeted excitedly.

"Hey Jen," I smiled.

Ma frowned slightly at our tardiness, I felt like I was in school. She replaced her frown quickly and welcomed us warmly. "I'm so glad you girls could make it!" She hugged us both. After breaking my hug she held my arms and looked me up and down, "Leah are you getting skinnier?"

I snorted, "Yeah,"

She half grinned, "Well you looked fine to me before. C'mon in, the girls are already here."

Just like Kaase had predicted there were three girls, Angie, Cindy and Mellissa. I remembered them all from the party. Jen seemed stiff at my side, nervous. The girls were already at work shredding a block of something that looked like caramel.

"The girls already started, here," she handed us each a metal bowl and a block of our own along with a shredder. "We're starting with the filling, we need you to shred the almond paste."

I took my block up, it felt sticky and gritty. I moved it carefully over the shredding block making sure I didn't cut myself. I had learned to be more aware of where my fingers are going lately. My hands were scarred from my new human carelessness already.

A radio was playing some soft country music in the corner, it was altogether peaceful. The music and the repeated sound of almond paste going over the sharp holes in the shredding block were the only sounds in the air.

"So Leah," Angie started, "you go to the community college right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I graduate soon." Hopefully, I haven't been spending much time on my studies. I had a big test on Monday I should have been studying for instead.

"What are you studying?" She asked curiously, her blue eyes never leaving her work.

"Wildlife conservation, Zoology, stuff like that." I said tiredly, "I'm really into wildlife." If only they knew.

She only nodded in agreement. She looked about 15 or 16 like Kaase had said, probably still in high school. She was probably trying to start a conversation but I was enjoying the silence too much.

After I finished shredding I added the rest of the ingredients for the filling as instructed. "Now you mix it."

I paused, looking all over the table for a spoon or spatula. "With what?" I asked.

She grabbed my wrist and shook it, "The tools God gave you. Doesn't turn out right if you stir it with a spoon."

I was sure it would taste the same but I didn't argue. I stuck my hands in the cold batter, breaking the yolks with my hands. "Ew," Melissa protested. It was disgusting, but nothing I couldn't handle. After we were done mixing we put the filling in a pie tin and put it in the fridge.

"It will have to chill overnight," ma informed.

Next we got to work on the crust that will go around the filling. We poured all the ingredients in a clean bowl and, like the filling, mixed everything with our hands. The crust was a little harder to mix because it had sticks of butter in it. Once I was done my hands actually hurt. We placed the crust batter on a sheet of saran wrap, covered it with more saran wrap and placed it in the fridge.

"Come back tomorrow at the same time," Ma smiled as she led us to the door. The girls were spending the night at her house and they seemed in a hurry to get rid of us.

"So do you want to come to a bonfire at our house tonight?" Jen invited.

"Sorry," I shrugged as we walked, "Kaase is taking me out to dinner tonight."

"Sounds like fun," She replied, "bet they won't have beer brats though." She nudged me with her elbow.

I laughed, "Yeah, they probably won't."

When I got home Kaase and I retreated to his bedroom to hide from the moon. We sat and talked for hours with my recurring headaches and dizzy spells kept interrupting.

"Maybe you should see a doctor, Leah." He rubbed my hand with his thumb.

I shook my head, making my vision blurry for a second. "I'm sure it's nothing."